Built in 1870, the Guthrie-Bianchini House is one of Cambria’s oldest homes. The Bianchini family owned the house for 87 years beginning in 1914. In 1980, the house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Cambria Historical Society purchased the property in 2001, then reconstructed and renovated it. Sitting on the corner …
Just 15 miles north of Cambria on a rugged, windswept coastal point rests the historic Piedras Blancas Lighthouse. It was first illuminated in 1875 to guide mariners along the rocky California coast. The Bureau of Land Management now manages the Piedras Blancas Light Station as a historic park and wildlife sanctuary accessed by guided tours …
If you listen closely enough in the afternoon atop an enchanted hill near Cambria, you can hear waves lapping along the expanse of coast below and exotic zebras grazing in nearby meadows. This is La Cuesta Encantada, or “The Enchanted Hill,” which is home to one of America’s greatest châteaus: Hearst Castle. Hearst Castle sits …
Elephant Seals have inhabited the coast of Highway 1 for years, and they continue to be a famous stop while visitors are in the Cambria area. These ocean-going mammals spend eight to ten months a year in the open ocean, diving 1,000 to 5,000 feet deep for periods of fifteen minutes to two hours, and …
Located on beautiful San Simeon Bay, the Coastal Discovery Center celebrates the connection between land and sea. The center offers interactive exhibits and educational programs that highlight the cultural and natural history of San Simeon, California State Parks and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The interface of land and sea is unique here, drawing people for …
Stepladder Ranch was founded in 1871 and has been family-owned and operated for three generations. Get to know their friendly herd of LaMancha goats and tour the creamery and milking parlor.
The first-order Fresnel lens used at Piedras Blancas Light Station was constructed in France by Henri Lapaute in 1872. The original lens and clockwork mechanism are on display next to the Veteran’s Memorial Building. The lens, on loan from the Coast Guard to the Cambria Lion’s Club, is maintained by the non-profit Friends of the …
The Covell Clydesdale Ranch is the only one place on earth where you can experience the majestic Clydesdale horses grazing on nearly 2,000 acres of rolling pastures speckled with pristine Monterey Pines and overlooking an exquisite view of the Pacific Ocean. At any given time, the ranch is home to approximately 100 Clydesdale horses of …
Nitt Witt Ridge, a California Registered Historical Landmark #939, is a house on a quarter acre in Cambria. Reclusive artist Arthur “Art” Harold Beal bought his hillside lot in 1928 and spent most of the next 50 years carving out the terraces with only a pick and shovel and creating his own “castle on a …
Cambria is brimming with historic architecture dating back to the 1800s, with an eclectic and charming collection of architectural styles. Victorian architecture, popular when Cambria was becoming a bustling mining town, was the inspiration for many of the buildings still standing today. Interpretations of the historic style are mixed with more modern influences to create …
